At the far end of the hall ahead of her, a shock of blue appeared on the ceiling. It vanished and reappeared, each time getting a little bit closer. Emily tightened her grip on her bow as she watched it approach.

A bolt of electricity arced toward her and she instinctively rolled out of the way. Jumping back to her feet, she ordered everyone else in the hallway to make a run for the center of the Pentagon. The rest of her team would be able to intercept them before anyone else could.

As they sprinted away from her, she faced the man standing across from her.

Blue and purple lights pulsed beneath his skin. Pure energy crackled within his azure irises. A small frown rested on his face.

Emily scowled.

Circuit.

Even though their last encounter had been weeks ago, she could still remember the unbearable feeling of getting electrocuted by the Prime. She wouldn't it happen again.

"You are not supposed to be here," he grumbled.

"I could say the same for you," Emily retorted. She maintained her hold on her bow, ready to launch her arrow at a moment's notice. She glanced past him, checking to see if he was alone. "Where are your friends?"

"Where are yours?"

Emily huffed. The two of them slowly began circling each other, their eyes never leaving the others.

Finally, Circuit attacked.

He pointed all ten of his fingers at her. A spiderweb of electricity shot out from his fingertips and raced towards her. With a yelp, she dropped to the ground and flattened herself like a pancake. She popped up onto her knee and launched a sonic arrow in Circuit's direction.

It whistled past him and embedded itself in the wall. Then it exploded, unleashing a wave of sonic energy. Circuit cried out as he was flung into the air.

Before he could hit the ground, his body dispersed into sparks. They moved backward before reforming his body.

"I don't have time for this," he grumbled. He turned and sprinted down the hallway.

Emily's eyes widened.

He's going for Mr. Lwando.

Gritting her teeth, she ran after him. She chased him down the hall. They were rapidly approaching the main sector of the Pentagon. The darkness around her quickly blended into the light coming from the other hallways.

Her communicator suddenly came back online.

"Emily!?" Kai's voice rang in her ear.

Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest at the sound of her voice.

"Where are you?" she demanded while turning a corner. "I'm chasing after Circuit. He's heading for the main pavilion."

"Force and I are already there—"

"Good! Stay there."

Kai paused for a moment. The sound of something crashing in the background filled Emily's ears. She slowed up as she waited for the girl's reply.

"Pisces?"

"It's Frost and Viper. They're here."

"Just hang tight. I'm on way."

She closed the channel and broke out into a full-on sprint. A few minutes later, she arrived in the Pentagon's central pavilion. She spotted Kai and Angus battling Viper and Frost on the patches of grass in the middle of the floor. Screams rang out around her as people desperately tried escaping the action.

With her chest heaving, Emily searched for Circuit and Mr. Lwando.

She found the South African politician first. He and his group were huddled behind a nearby wall. Terror was etched into their features like permanent engravings in a headstone.

Circuit zipped from the lights lining the walls, his body reverting back to its electric form. Each one shattered as he zapped the power from them. Government agents had spilled out into the courtyard. Most were shooting at the elusive Prime while the rest were doing their best to keep everyone else out of danger.

Emily glanced at Angus, who was battling Viper. The boy swung his baseball bat at the woman, but she was too quick for him. Eventually, she landed a swift kick to his head that dropped him like a hot potato.

That's not good.

She pressed her finger to her ear. "Neon, where are you?"

Zach didn't reply.

Then again, he didn't need to.

Almost a split-second later, a streak of bright green emerged from the Pentagon and into the fray. It raced towards Viper and knocked her off her feet. Within the blink of an eye, Zach materialized beside Emily.

The thirteen-year-old sported a goofy grin as he bounced on the balls of his feet. "What'd I miss?"

Emily rolled her eyes before pointing at Viper, who was slowly getting back to her feet. "Take care of her while I check on Force."

He nodded at her before zipping toward the woman.

Emily dashed in Angus' direction, vaulting over stone benches and the ledge of the fountain sitting in the middle of the courtyard as she went. Once she reached him, she helped him back to his feet.

"You alright?"

Groaning, he pressed a hand to his temple. "Naw, not really." He scowled and twirled his bat in his hand. "I'll help Neon with the snake-lady. You help Pisces with Frost."

The two of them nodded at each other before darting off in opposite directions.

Kai and Frost were trading blows. But not with their fists. The two of them were taking turns redirecting different forms of water at each other. Whenever Frost threw a shard of ice at the girl, she would liquefy it in midair before throwing it back at her. If they hadn't been trying to kill each other, Emily would've thought they were engaged in some sort of dance.

Emily burst onto the scene by sliding on her knee and launched an explosive arrow at Frost's head. The woman coated her fist in ice before batting it into the sky. It exploded in a small puff of orange, red, and black.

"Great," Emily grumbled.

Kai surged at Frost, who was a bit disorientated by the explosive arrow going off above her. She tackled the woman into the marble fountain nearby. They both tumbled into the water, their limbs wrapped around each other as they thrashed around.

Emily wasn't worried, though. Kai thrived in the water.

Deeming Frost neutralized, she turned her attention back to Circuit. The Prime had just found Mr. Lwando and his group. He stalked toward them with electricity crackling from his skin.

"Not on my watch," Emily said under her breath.

Without a second thought, she unleashed a flurry of sonic rings from her mouth. They connected with his chest, sending him flying backward.

"Go!" Emily yelled. "Get back inside! You'll be safe there!"

Mr. Lwando thanked her before hurrying off inside the Pentagon. Emily felt a bit of relief flood through her after he entered the doors. They wouldn't be able to hurt him in there—not with all the government agents and security guards around.

Their mission was to protect the South African politician, and so far, that mission was a success.

Now all they needed to do was deal with these three Primes.

To her side, Emily heard Circuit approaching. She notched an arrow but immediately dropped it after a bolt of electricity zapped her arm. She yelped as she staggered backward, her good arm holding her burning shoulder.

"You are in the way!" Circuit yelled as he stomped toward her. His eyes flared, the blue within his irises growing brighter as his temper rose. "We have a mission to complete!"

He directed two more bolts of electricity at her. She sidestepped and sucked in a breath as they narrowly missed her.

Out the corner of her eye, she could see Kai climbing out of the fountain. Frost's still body was draped over the stone barrier keeping the water inside. Emily couldn't tell if she was dead or alive. It didn't matter, though. All that mattered was that she was out of the battle.

That made it four versus two now.

Neon and Angus were still handling Viper. However, Angus had just caught a glob of poison spit to the shoulder. He dropped to the ground screaming.

Emily cringed at the sound.

"This wasn't supposed to go like this," Circuit said with an agitated groan. "Ghost said Atlas wouldn't be involved."

"Yeah, well," Kai said as she stepped up next to Emily. "We're involved."

The two girls stood side-by-side as they prepared to face off against the extremely volatile Prime. He sneered at them before jumping into their air. Before the pair could attack, he dispersed into a cloud of static and moved behind them.

Emily dove to her right just in time to dodge a lethal blast of electricity. Kai wasn't as fortunate.

She cried out as she hit the floor. Her black hair had gone stiff as if she touched a live generator. Smoke rose from her chest. Her body convulsed against the ground.

Emily's lip trembled as she stared at the girl.

No, no, no.

She turned toward Circuit. Her face contorted in anger. Rage filled her veins, filling her entire body with anger and adrenaline.

"You're going to regret that," she growled.

She charged at Circuit. After jumping into the air, she drove a knee into his chest. Coughing, he took a few steps backward. She took advantage of his hesitation and tagged him with a flurry of quick punches.

It only seemed to make him angrier.

As he stepped away from her, he stretched his hands away from his body. He squeezed his eyes shut and let out a guttural cry. Bolts of lightning crashed through every window in the vicinity. They poured into his hands and disappeared into his palms. Soon, every inch of his tawny skin was tinged blue.

He grinned, sparks crackling inside his mouth.

Emily gulped.

"My turn."

He unleashed a wave of charged air at her. It sent her tumbling over herself. Static filled the air and her mouth. It crawled over her skin like millions of fire ants. With her muscles screaming in agony, she forced herself back to her feet.

She ignored the pain spreading across her body and focused on staying alive. Both Angus and Kai were down, leaving just her and Zach. She had no idea where Danai was, but if she hadn't shown up yet, that meant something had happened.

She needed to stay alive. Not just for her sake, but also for her team's. Chase put her in charge and she wasn't going to let him down.

After retrieving an explosive arrow from her quiver, she shot it at Circuit. He caught it out of the air before it exploded. Through the cloud of smoke swirling around his face, Emily could see his skin had been tinged black where the blast had done off. Tiny cuts marred his cheeks and forehead.

A snarl twisted his lips.

"You will regret that."

After seeing the sinister look in his flashing eyes, Emily was inclined to believe him. He aimed both of his palms at her. She turned slightly, preparing for her body to be filled with electricity.

This was it. This was where she died. She never thought it would be by the hand of a fellow Prime. They shouldn't have been fighting each other in the first place. They weren't enemies.

The real enemy was Senator Crane and those like him.

But no one but herself seemed to know that.

She waited for the blast to hit her but it never did. And it never would. After turning back toward Circuit, she saw four tendrils of water originating from the fountain wrapped around his arms and legs. He struggled against them, but they wouldn't budge.

Emily glanced at Kai. She was still on the ground, but she had her arm raised in Circuit's direction. Desperation and exhaustion filled her reddened face.

She was alive. And, more importantly, she had saved Emily's life.

Her heart skipped a beat.

As she watched Circuit thrashed around against the arms of water wrapped around him, an idea surfaced in her head. From what she had seen, his body was a conduit. It soaked up electricity and redistributed it.

Like any battery, he presumably could only take in so much energy. And with the water around him, it would keep the electrical current focused on him.

She quickly turned to Kai. "Hold him steady. I have an idea."

The girl, who had risen to her knees, strained. Both of her hands were raised now and more water had been summoned from the nearby fountain. It snaked around Circuit, trapping his entire body like a liquid vise. His arms had been pressed against his body, preventing him from fighting back. In fact, the only part of his body not submerged in water was his face.

He screamed and shouted, sparks flying from his tongue.

Kai's hands shook as she struggled to maintain her cage of water.

"Whatever you plan is," she said breathlessly, "you need to do it now. I can't hold him for much later."

Circuit's teeth gnashed the air as he began to panic. His wild, black hair flew around his face as he spat electricity from his mouth. His face began to light up. Tiny blue explosions erupted beneath his skin.

Emily sucked in a breath and notched a blue-tipped arrow. She hoped it had enough voltage inside its arrowhead.

She exhaled.

"Emily!" Kai warned. Sweat was dripping down her face. The veins and tendons in her neck bulged with exertion. The water around Circuit began to fall away. It splashed on the ground, the sound echoing in Emily's ears. "Now!"

Emily breathed in one last time. When she exhaled, she felt all the tension flee from her taut muscles.

Game over.

The arrow left her two fingers and raced towards Circuit. It stuck in his chest, the shaft vibrating for a few moments. Kai dropped her water and fell onto her back.

Holding the arrow sticking out from his sternum, Circuit staggered backward. His eyes were widened as if he couldn't believe what just happened. His body jolted as the electrical shock from Emily's arrowhead passed through him.

The light in his eyes grew until they resembled miniature blue suns. He opened his mouth but nothing came out. He coughed once. Then twice. Blood trickled down his chin. Pulses of blue, yellow, and purples flared beneath his skin until his natural complexion was gone entirely.

Emily turned away from the gruesome sight.

A small pop sounded in front of her.

When she turned back, she saw Circuit's body slumped against a nearby wall with his eyes wide open. She didn't need to check his pulse to know.

He was gone. And she had killed him.

If she could do it again, she would. He was in the way of the mission and she neutralized him. But that didn't make the stabbing pain in her heart go away.

She had killed a man. And not just a man—a fellow Prime. They weren't supposed to be enemies. If she could have it her way, all Primes would be on the same side and living on some secluded island away from all the drama other humans created.

Alas, that was just a pipe dream.

For now, she had to face her reality.

Holding back a tired sob, she dropped to her knees. She stared at Circuit's body, which was twitching with the leftover energy coursing through him. She then looked around the Pentagon's courtyard. Zach and Angus had successfully defeated Viper. The woman was unconscious at their feet.

As for Frost, the woman had just started to come to within the fountain. But, upon realizing she was outnumbered four to one, she immediately surrendered.

"Come on," Kai's soft voice said from behind her. "Let's round them up."

Nodding, Emily stood up and joined Zach and Angus near the fountain. Once they gathered the defeated Primes, they tried making contact with Chase and his team.

No one answered.

Before they could question it, Danai darted out of the sky. She landed in from of them, a panicked look on her face.

Emily and Kai approached her first.

"What is it?" Emily asked.

"It's..." Danai doubled over with her hands on her knees. Once she caught her breath, she looked at Emily. "It's—"

She was interrupted by an explosion from the Pentagon's parking lot. Smoke billowed into the air beyond the building's walls. Emily's throat tightened.

That was where Chase's squad was. They had been escorting Senator Crane to his transport after his meeting with Mr. Lwando. Something was telling Emily that they hadn't completed the task.

Her heart sank.

While they may have defeated Circuit, Viper, and Frost, the battle was far from over. She just hoped Chase and others would be able to finish it.